IUCN threat status:

Brief Summary

Biology

Large platforms of sticks are constructed in trees, on rock faces, and even on the ground in early May, and these nests may be sparsely lined with dried grass and assorted plant stems. In mid May, between one and three eggs are laid, hatching 42 to 44 days later in mid to late June. Both parents care for the chick, providing it with food until it fledges in August (7). Frogs constitute the majority of the diet in some areas (7), but the greater spotted eagle is also known to consume small mammals, waterbirds and snakes (2). It will eat carrion and may force black kites (Milvus migrans) to surrender prey (7). The migratory movements of the greater spotted eagle are not well understood, but it seems the majority of the birds move from the main breeding areas in northeast Asia between late September and October to wintering grounds in southern China and south and Southeast Asia, returning to the breeding grounds in mid April (7).